A jaunty ride through mud roads, an offshoot from the national highway between Raipur and Jagdalpur, about 50 km away from the capital, brings us to this quaint village and temple town of Rajim on the confluence of the rivers Mahanadi, Pairi and Sondhul, thus earning it the sobriquet of the Prayag of Chhattisgarh.

The peach-pink rays of the early morning sun gently caresses the temple dome as we climb down a flight of steps to wash our feet in the sacred waters. I observe the three rivers clearly reflecting their individual colours — three distinct colours of the trio of rivers — green, blue and pink-red. After cleansing our feet, we proceed to the main temple wherein sits majestically the reigning deity, Vishnu, as Rajiv Lochan, meaning the blue lotus-eyed.
The temple architecture in Rajim reveals an amalgam of styles in keeping with the several dynasties that held sway over the region at various time periods. The region of Dakshin Kosala, of which Rajim is a tiny part, was conquered by Sarabhapura kings around 5th century AD. The founder of the dynasty, Sarabha and his son Narendra, it is said, were vassals of the imperial Gupta family. The Vataka kings of Vidarbha, the Pandava Kings, the Nalas, were all believed to have reigned supreme in the region before the 12th century.
A high point of the temple architecture of Rajiv Lochan is the blend of materials used in its construction. The bricks have been piled, cementing them with a mixture of limestone, urad dal and the entrails of the bel fruit, making it sturdy.
The temple, built in true panchayatana style, has space earmarked for four subsidiary shrines at the four corners of its compound. However, only three of these corners have smaller sanctums built for Lord Badrinath, Narasimha and Varaha. The ornate doorway of the main sanctum sanctorum of Lord Rajiv Lochan is at once striking with the lintel majestically holding Anantasayana, or Lord Vishnu in a reclining posture.
The town of Rajim was called Kamalkshetra and Padampur in ancient times because of the abounding lotus ponds it had. In fact, the popular belief among the natives is that the town itself stands upon a lotus. As in olden times, Rajim continues to be known as Panchkashi because it houses five Shiva Lingas — Fingeshwar, Kopeshwar, Kuleshwar, Pateshwar and Patneshwar. History records the Rajiv Lochan temple as having been established between the 8th and 9th centuries.
Legend has it that Rajim was named after Rajib Telin, a woman tiller who sold oil. According to mythology, Lord Vishnu was immensely pleased with her devotion and promised to name this temple town after her. According to another legend, Lord Vishnu in the sanctum sanctorum was once whisked away by Goddess Rajiv. The people of the village were so distraught at the disappearance of their favourite Lord and protector of their hamlet that they beseeched the Goddess to return the Lord’s idol. Appeased by the entreaties, Goddess Rajiv acquiesced on condition that her name would henceforth be associated with the Lord; hence the name Rajiv Lochan.
Yet others credit the temple to Jagat Pal, a mythical king who is supposed to have erected the structure in one day! The deity of Rajiv Lochan is always draped in unstitched cloth that is never knotted at the ends but left folded. The pagri or turban adorning the Lord’s crown is woven by generations of a single family and the Lord is bedecked thrice everyday: as a child in the morning, as a youth in the afternoon and as an old man in the evening!

The writer is a travel enthusiast